Chicken Coop Chatter©
Potpourri, is a mixture of flower, seeds, cones or herb for fragrance and color. It can be enhanced with essential oils and history shows that even ancient potpourri still held a faint fragrance of the plants that were used. It was added to storage trunks, wrapped in muslin or kerchiefs or held in fancy urns. Flower petals were often strewn at burial sites and used at weddings in lieu of rice or bird seed.
Potpourri has been used for centuries, not just by the Victorians or Pioneers, but throughout history and recorded at least 6000 years ago. No doubt the Greeks and Romans added flower petals to their spas and bath houses.
Potpourri and incense was used for a variety of ceremonies and to sweeten the stench during outbreaks of illness, death and disease. Many believed that the mixture of herbs and fragrance helped to ward off diseases and kept them from falling ill.
You can dry your own or florist flowers to make your own potpourri, or as I do, after I cut a bouquet for the house, I reserve the flower heads to add to a jar or fancy dish of potpourri. Even if the flowers are not fragrant, they can be enhanced with your choice of essential oils and will last a very long time. Many flowers are colorful, but have no distinct fragrance of their own, but definitely add to mixture for texture, color and interest.
It is easy to make potpourri bundles to hang in closets or place in dresser drawers or linen closets to keep clothes and linens smelling fresh. Muslin, Tulle, Cheese Cloth, Lace or Cotton all work nicely for bundles, tied off with jute string. ribbon, eyelet or rickrack.
Potpourri can be added to a kettle on the stove to humidify and freshen the air during winter months when windows cannot be opened to air out the home. When making candles or soap, a sprinkle of potpourri can add interest and fragrance, as well as medicinal properties in some, to the finished product.
Though not potpourri, Tussie Mussies were small bouquets of flowers that were given to a friend, lover or new neighbor as a token of friendship and love. Tussie Mussies are easy to make with dried or fresh flowers. Just gather a bundle of flowers with 4 or 5 inch stems and tie together with a coordinating ribbon.
Pressed flowers were popular as specimens or mementoes of certain occasions. Many school children have engaged in pressing flowers in the classroom to give to Moms for May Day and Mother's Day. It is not unusual to find an old Bible or tome with pressed flowers inserted within the pages. I am sure there's some special story behind each of the pressed flowers if only they could talk.
Potpourri today is used to enhance our own homes with fragrance and popular for strewing at weddings. It is easy to make and almost any flower, herb, seed, cones can be added to the mixture. The colors you choose and fragrance speaks volumes of you as you make personal choices in your selections. A Tussie Mussie can be made in minutes and given in friendship or displayed near your favorite book or antique memento. Pressed flowers can be done in minutes, but will take a few days to press flat. Those can be used to enhance gift packaging or gift cards for a very personal touch.
These activities are part of our heritage and though we have more flowers and colors to choose from now than possibly centuries ago, the purpose is as fresh today as yesteryear and suitable projects to engage children in.
Some flowers that dry very well are roses, hydrangea, babies breath, queen Anne's lace, Dogwood and Daisies. Pressed flowers such as Violets, Queen Anne's lace and Daisies have been popular throughout history. For Tussie Mussies, Small petaled flowers work best, or buds of larger flowers added to the small bouquet. Good choices are Spirea, Weigela, Rose of Sharon, Forget Me Knot and small Daisies. Be creative and enjoy a bit of history in the process. Sharing the history you have learned with children means they will carry on to their own children in the future and not lost in the depths of history. Time with children, spent in traditional activity is well spent as generation after generation learn those skills and continue to stay in touch with their ancestral roots.
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